Son denies entry to his Maharashtra-returned mother fearing COVID-19

Karimnagar: In a shocking incident, a man refused to allow his 80-year-old mother into his house fearing contracting Coronavirus in Kisannagar of Karimnagar town.

The woman had returned from Maharashtra on Friday. Since Maharashtra is the hot spot for Covid-19 cases, the man suspected his mother too could have been infected with the virus. The helpless woman sat in front of her house for hours. .

The woman had gone to her relative’s house in Sholapur, Maharashtra, before lockdown and was stuck there for two months.

“I was not staying in a red zone. There was not even a single case of Covid-19 in my lane. I came to Karimnagar in a private vehicle. I couldn’t inform my sons because I don’t have any of their contacts and now, they are not letting me inside our house.” the mother complained.

"In the wake of relaxation in lockdown, she returned to Karimnagar but her elder son and his wife did not allow her into the house," said Edla Ashok, a division member of Karimnagar Municipal Corporation.

According to the civic body officials, the woman’s younger son locked his house and gone somewhere out of fear of catching the infection as his mother returned from Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, her elder son says the family uses a common bathroom and it would be difficult to keep the woman in home quarantine, inside the house. Also, he said there are other tenants in the same building and they would object if the woman stays inside the house.

“We don’t know if she is infected with Coronavirus. We will wait for 14 days to know that. Though she has a separate room in the house, washrooms and toilets are common,” said the elder son.

While the siblings are in a fight over who will take the responsibility of the mother, the residents in the area said no medical officer or members from the corporation approached the woman to decide on an appropriate step. They said the family has so far not provided her with either food or water and that she has been left on the road.

Unable to convince the family, Ashok finally took the woman to his house. Later, as the police intervened and warned the family, the mother was accepted by her elder son. The civic official said though the woman claims to be healthy, her Covid-19 test will be conducted today and in case of any symptoms, she will be kept in a quarantine ward.

This incident is reported at the time when, four deaths and 169 new COVID cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, beginning 5 PM May 28th. Going by the official health bulletin, this is the highest recorded in the state, ever since the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Of the total 169, the highest cases (82) are from Hyderabad, followed by Ranga Reddy (14). It is pertinent to mention that the city has witnessed a spike in the number of COVID cases and alarming deaths rate, ever since certain relaxations were implemented.